


Raise You

by Doot



Category: inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Conduit!Reggie, Curdun Cay, DUP!Delsin, DUP!Reggie, Fetch is mentioned, Mind Break, Mind Control, Torture, i guess?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:03:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5584726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doot/pseuds/Doot





	1. Take You

Delsin was taken to Curdun Cay, a secluded place further up north in Washington. From there, he was given new clothes and a cell to live in. A holding cell, really. A steel door separated him from the rest of the world. It was grey and dark, horribly straining for the eyes due to the lack of light that reflected from the walls. Reggie brought him there. Reggie left him there.    
After a night there with no words from Reggie or Augustine, Delsin finally got an audience with the queen. She had him escorted to her office. She sat at her desk, elbows resting on the table and fingers intertwined with one another.    
“Delsin Rowe... Please sit,” She smiled. The large contraption clamped around his hands were disengaged and he rubbed his wrists. “In my office, you can’t use your powers. I can, but that’s only when I need to do so. Please, don't make me.” She smiled.    
“So, what? You’re here to welcome me? I thought I‘d be tossed in a hole, but here I am,” Delsin hesitantly sat across from Augustine and let out a sigh. “What do you want?”    
“What do I want? Oh, Delsin... I want to understand you. Understand your powers. Every bio-terrorist that comes here is to be understood so we can handle them more efficiently. So, tell me, what makes you tick?”    
  
He was there for what felt like ages.  _ Too long, _ he told himself,  _ I have to get out. _ He was kept in what looked like an infirmary. It was tests that they completed. This was Augustine’s ‘understanding' method. Poked and prodded with needles, blood being drawn and then observed. They took prints of him, scanned him into machines. They made him hurt, watched how his brain responded, then did it again. They blocked his powers with arm braces with microscopic needles that inserted into the nerves that could manipulate matter. He was defenseless.    
Delsin was pushed in and out of consciousness, and every time he gave into sleep, he saw the same thing. Saw Reggie in the god forsaken D.U.P. armor, helmet under his arm and pressing against his torso, then Delsin saw himself standing next to Reggie. He also wore D.U.P. clothing, but could never see the garb in focus. It was always blurred, then he woke up. Nothing was said between the two, but Delsin knew something was wrong there. Something had to be wrong, Reggie wouldn’t be standing next to Delsin with a friendly face, not now. 

Eventually, they tried to break him. They used pain as the most basic method known. Something wasn’t right with the tests. They showed he was positive for the conduit gene, but they wouldn’t show why he was a “power sponge.” They needed to know how it worked.    
They did, after making Reggie do it. The elder Rowe was the one who pushed knives into his brother when the testing was done. They needed him  _ raw _ , and he was much too  _ tough. _ Within an hour, Delsin was a crying mess. He pleaded for Reggie to stop, to release him, to get them both out. But Reggie... He didn’t stop until he was told to. Delsin couldn’t stop locking eyes with him, and with every slice Reggie inflicted, Delsin could see pain in his brother’s eyes.  _ He was still in there, deep down. _

  
The young conduit was gone. But he was stronger. They made him work day and night. Never let him rest. It was what they did with Fetch. Built him up, tore him down, then built him back up again. He was fast, strong, easy to work with when spoken to with the right tone of voice. Augustine loved it, loved the progress she was making in such short time. 

It was something about working with someone as young as he was, as short-fused as he was, that made Augustine even more excited about her new plaything. He was her favorite toy, and she was ready to show it off.    
“When do I get out there?” Delsin asked impatiently. “I want to kick ass with my brother, not fight your stupid drones all day.”    
“Soon, Delsin. Soon you can fight whoever you want. Soon, you’ll be able to be free.” Augustine told him.  _ My toy wants to be let out of the box. _ He was like a limited edition action figure. You could see the eagerness painted onto the face, the desire to be released from the bonds of an enclosed space, but the hesitation. The hesitation was killer for the player and the played with. One wanted to be free, but feared the real world.  _ Was it as great as everyone says? _ Then the player who wanted to use it as a new piece.  _ Is it as strong as they say?  _ The only way to tell for both scenarios was to release the toy, let it go without those ties to the box clamped around the limbs. But who would dare let a lit fuse go out there?    
  
He was released again, and he fucked it up. He destroyed it. He had to be wiped again.  _ Sixth time this month, _ Augustine thought. Delsin was ready to go, but couldn’t follow orders. He would need to be in Reggie’s squad, led by someone he would respect. So that’s what happened.    
Of course, the wipe had to happen. Augustine would need to file the paperwork to get the change done, then authorize what would be done. When she gave the go, they started without hesitation. They pressed a mouth guard into Delsin’s mouth, forced him to bite down, then started. The headpiece was designed for this. It covered certain parts of the brain that would affect memory. Again, they would need to tell him who he was, what he had to do, and how to do it. But every time they did it, more of  _ him _ was erased. More of that flame was dimmed, cut down.    
Psychotic. That’s how he was described after this one. Too many times had they started again. Too many times has the Delsin the public knew was repressed, silenced,  _ slaughtered.  _ But now they started again. He was released once more, but this time with armor that matched his brother’s.    
It was a skin-tight, black, long-sleeve, breathable shirt, slightly padded around the chest, shoulders, and upper arms. It had to be fitting, strong, but easy to move in. From there, the traditional metal plating was strapped around his arms and on his shoulders, but far more scarce than the usual soldiers. He had the bright yellow plating on his shoulders, the upper part of the breastplate that covered the pectoral muscles, and flexible, solid padding strapped around his elbows. His pants were much more D.U.P.-y. The knee plating and the plates on his thighs. The base of the pants, like the shirt, was black and skin-tight. Heavy boots weighed down his feet, so he changed to simple black converse with the white rubber sides and toe painted yellow. On his back, he spray painted “D.U.P.” where his shoulder blades were, with the letters slightly turned to look more... Delsin. They wouldn’t let him wear his signature beanie. Instead, he was given a D.U.P.-issued lemon yellow beanie, which he looked at with disgust. Delsin decided to go without a beanie. He wouldn’t need it. That beanie was part of the  _ old  _ Delsin. The  _ weak _ Delsin. He was new and improved. He jokingly called himself Delsin 2.0, the next-gen delinquent. They needed something to make his signature off of. His beanie was out, so what was left? He was loud, sarcastic, crazy. What do you do with people like that? You  _ silence _ them. They gave him a mask that resembled something like a muzzle. It hugged his face and went from cheekbone to cheekbone, even up and over the bridge of his nose. It was solid black, with “D.U.P.” painted onto it. Whoever he was fighting, killing,  **obliterating** , would need to know they fell at the hands of the Department of Unified Protection’s loose cannon. 

They gave him over to Reggie, who led a small squadron of APCs to the suspect pens for pickup. Too bad there would be a  _ certain bio-terrorist _ that just loved destroying cages. The suspects would never make it there in one piece. And those that fought back just made the kill oh so much more fantastically satisfying. 


	2. Fix You

A simple pick up, a little kid. They weren’t even supposed to be able to use their powers. Absolute fucking bullshit. 

They call him in when things get rough, messy, expensive. He didn’t care, he had a thing for blowing shit up. He took every chance he was slammed with to get out of Curdun Cay. That city air... God, he loved the smell of smog. This mission was different. He couldn’t stop at the usual Latte Owl and flirt with the same barista. No, this time he was sent out to the nearby forest. What kind of idiot would run into the woods? 

He had a lovely group of troopers behind him, which he quickly ordered to stay back. They would answer to him due to Reggie’s absence. It was his second time alone. Just like last time, it was a test. He couldn’t mess this up. Some of them protested, claiming it would be better to capture the bio-terrorist with the strength of numbers. They would just get in the way. 

Rowe didn’t need to ask for clearance to use his arsenal, so he didn't hold back. He had finally learned that long dash Hank had mastered so long ago. Now, he was damn near unstoppable and impossible to hit. 

He picked up the trail easily, there was debris everywhere. It was like a bomb had gone off. Fallen tree limbs and what looked like roots had been torn from the ground, leaving a trench in the Earth. He had to catch up to them before they calmed down. They calm down and they stop wreaking havoc on Mother Nature. No trail to follow, no mission to complete. He would fail and lose all chances of being able to command his own squadron. Rowe would not accept that. 

It took him a little less than half an hour, but he found the bio-terrorist. A little girl, tucked into a hollowed tree. He knew it was her, had to have been. He felt a buzz in the air, one he remembers from when he was around Fetch or Eugene. God, that was back when he was Delsin. Disgusting. 

“Hey... Are you uh, are you alright?” He asked, kneeling down in front of her. “I know you’ve got some guys after you and...” She had looked up at him, tears streaking her face. 

“You’re one of them!” She cried out, shoving him back and getting out of the tree. Was it the mask that gave it away, or the uniform? Either way, he was pushed back with such alarming force he had to take a moment to understand what had happened. The kid’s a bio-terrorist. Freaky strength and all that. He wished he had recharged while he was chasing after her. Using Hank’s neat trick drained his smoke gauge, he was running too close to empty. He couldn’t use what he had to shoot her, couldn’t use it to chase her, either. That left what? Running? Great.

She already had a sizeable gap between herself and Rowe. He was busy trying to guess her power. Would Augustine be mad if he picked this one up? Probably. Better not. He moved closer to her, almost close enough to grab the back of her shirt. The girl turned back and saw him, then threw up her arms. A wall of various plants sprouted from the ground, stopping him in his tracks. Rowe was happy he didn’t have any allergy to... Whatever just grew in front of him. 

“That’s a cute trick, kid, but I like mine better!” There was one piece of Delsin he couldn’t really let go of. That chain of his always did come in handy... It didn’t drain smoke from him, so he used it to scorch the forest. The flames slinking off of the metal and tearing into the wall of foliage felt so gloriously satisfying, it was like taking candy from a baby. He didn’t care about the way the blaze he crafted spread onto the ground around him. No, that’s collateral. Not on him. The conflagration was on Augustine’s head. She gave the order to release him. 

Rowe ran again, eyes looking for her blue shirt. He caught her running between trees. His feet knew what to do as he started to move again. It was windier where she stopped. After looking closer and realizing the forest he thought was a few yards away was what looked like fifty feet below them. She had her hands up and her back to him. 

“Please!” She shouted. “Please, don’t hurt me!” When she turned to face him, her face was bright red and tears glistened on her cheeks. 

“Hurt you? With all the running you made me do, I’m tempted,” He wrinkled his nose in anger. God, he hated children. “You’re under arrest for attacking a D.U.P soldier. Another charge is for possessing the conduit gene without turning yourself into the Department of Unified Protection, but I’ll go easy on you. Put your hands out so I can cuff you and we can get going. My squad is waiting and if I don’t get back to them in the next five minutes, they’re coming for you. They won’t be so nice.” He stepped towards her, holding out his hand to grab her wrist, but she stepped away. 

“No... I'm not going with you! They said I would be safe out here. They said I wouldn’t have to see you guys out here!” More tears? At this rate, she’ll get dehydrated. So much emotion in such a small person. 

“Well, they’re liars. We won’t hurt you, as long as you listen. Please, kid, I won’t ask you again,” He didn’t have enough power to do serious damage, but maybe it would be enough to keep her quiet. Rowe hated that metal piece lodged in his head denying him of all his strength. It’s not like he would go all out on her, but even children were strong enough to kill someone. He would know, a few of his soldier buddies were dropped because of these runny-nosed runts. Rowe lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and making sure he didn’t touch her hand. “You’re too slow. C’mon, I’m not in the mood to fight.” He tugged on her arm and she yelped as if it hurt. He didn’t use any force, but he still looked down at her. Was that concern on his face? 

“I said... I’m not going with you!” A tree from the edge of the forest launched from it’s roots and seemed to run at the two. Rowe was too busy watching this thing run at him to get out of the way. 

It came down with such force, the sheer sound of his bones shattering beneath the wood made him cry out. At the last second, he tried to move out of the way. The way his body moved and the way the tree fell made it come down diagonally across him. One arm was free, the other crushed. Don’t even look at his chest. He laughed, partly from shock and partly from how ridiculous this situation was. He was bested by a little girl and a tree. This was some fairytale bullshit. The laugh ended with a bloody cough, which had been blocked by the mask. Using the hand that was free, he pulled his mask off and spat to the side and crimson saliva flew from his mouth. 

“Alright... I like your trick better...” He wheezed. The tree rolled off of him, creating more cracking sounds to come from his body. Rowe sat up, one hand holding his chest. Smoke began to seep out of him and started to work on his injuries. He slowly felt the shifting of his bones beneath his skin as they worked their way back into place. 

“That smoke... Are you healing?” He looked up at her and saw from the corner of his eye the tree rising from the ground. “You heal, you give me away.” She had to be twelve and she already knew so much. It was crazy. But Rowe, he couldn’t help be afraid of this child that could barely come up to his chin. The way her arm moved, the way it stretched out and controlled one of the branches of the tree, this had to be fake. It was one thing to see He Who Dwells soaring through the Lantern District, but this was even more bizarre. She wound her arm back and the branch mimicked her motions. It was brought forward and he was sent spiraling down. 

When he woke up, the sun was in a different position. He coughed and more blood came from his mouth. Someone was screaming in his ear, looks like his five minutes were up.

“Rowe! This is an order! Respond immediately! Rowe!” It took him a moment to shake the sleep from his mind. When he did, he couldn’t help letting a scream escape from his throat. He wasn’t numb anymore and when he tried to force smoke out of his hand, nothing happened. Augustine limited him so he couldn’t overdo it, but she didn’t consider how much he needed it to heal. Rowe tried to sit up, to figure out where he was, but the pain from his chest kept him down. He turned his head to his left arm, the one crushed by that goddamned tree. The fingers wouldn’t move. The entire arm wouldn’t move. No, no no no... It couldn’t be dead... Focus! He got the fingers to twitch, but the rest was useless. If he could just get to smoke... He lifted his other hand up to his earpiece, pressing down the small button that would let him broadcast his voice. 

“Found the target... Engaged... Wounded... Target lost...” It hurt to breathe. It felt like he was drowning. “Requesting immediate assistance...” There was a crackling response when he released the button. The frantic voice from before was much more calm and collected. Deep, dark. He recognized it and it made his skin crawl. 

“You failed. Request denied.” Reggie hissed. Rowe swallowed hard, thinking about how far the nearest checkpoint was. He had a small GPS with him. Looks like he had a new best friend. 

Rowe managed to stand and walk, but the blood kept pooling in his mouth. Eventually, he got sick of constantly spitting and just let it slide down his chin. He couldn’t believe this, couldn’t believe he was denied. He could barely walk, barely breathe. By the time he got to one of the checkpoints by the edge of the forest, the sun had started to set. He was out all day and he was exhausted. He waved up at the spotlight that blinded him, trying to show he was one of them. Rowe turned around, showing the bright yellow letters on the back of his uniform. 

“My name is Rowe... I need help, smoke, something...” Soldiers ran down to meet him, one spoke into a radio while the other helped support him. His head dropped down, red dripping from his lips. 

“Y-Your request for smoke has been denied. A transport is c-coming to retrieve you.” The one with the radio stated, the stutter in his sentences showing he was scared. Rowe almost forgot he had Delsin’s face. This guy had a seriously high body count. It was nice to be feared. He didn’t exactly register what came after that. He heard mumbles, then everything went dark.

More mumbling, more darkness. It took him some time to come to. When he fully opened his eyes, the room was bright white. He heard her voice. As much as he would hate to admit it, and as corny as it sounds, she pulled him out of it. It’s not as romantic as it seems. Rowe turned towards her. She was having a conversation with one of the coats. Sweat slid down his forehead, yet he felt so cold. His eyelids began to droop again and something began to frantically beep next him. 

“Ma’am, we don’t have time. Part of him or all of him?” Broken. Was there any other word to use? 

“The arm comes off. No anesthesia.” Her voice was almost as chilled as he was. He felt his heart sink at that. Come on, say something! 

“Please, please... D-Don’t. I can’t take anymore...” He was trembling, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. More pain, more suffering.

“You would have the luxury of not feeling a thing if you had obeyed and completed your mission. You failed, so you don’t deserve the comfort.” 

He was fine when they fixed up his chest. He’s had to do it for himself before. Removing pieces of his ribs from his lungs. How did he live this long, anyway? It was the cutting, the sawing, the grinding of that instrument so close to his ear that threw him off. He screamed, pleaded for anything to stop the pain. At one point, he felt his lips form the words “kill me” as if they would obey him. Here, he was nothing. Here, he had no rank. Here, he was just another filthy bio-terrorist. He passed out from the pain. Augustine had watched from the sidelines, safe in her little box above the operating room. She didn’t like the weakness he revealed. Hopefully by denying him all comfort he would be stronger. When he wakes up, he’ll be perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

A simple pick up, a little kid. They weren’t even supposed to be able to use their powers. Absolute fucking _bullshit._   
  
They call him in when things get rough, messy, expensive. He didn’t care, he had a thing for blowing shit up. He took every chance he was slammed with to get out of Curdun Cay. That city air... God, he loved the smell of smog. This mission was different. He couldn’t stop at the usual Latte Owl and flirt with the same barista. No, this time he was sent out to the nearby forest. What kind of idiot would run into the woods? 

 

He had a lovely group of troopers behind him, which he quickly ordered to stay back. They would answer to him due to Reggie’s absence. It was his second time alone. Just like last time, it was a test. He couldn’t mess this up. Some of them protested, claiming it would be better to capture the bio-terrorist with the strength of numbers. They would just get in the way. 

 

Rowe didn’t need to ask for clearance to use his arsenal, so he didn't hold back. He had finally learned that long dash Hank had mastered so long ago. Now, he was damn near unstoppable and impossible to hit. 

 

He picked up the trail easily, there was debris everywhere. It was like a bomb had gone off. Fallen tree limbs and what looked like roots had been torn from the ground, leaving a trench in the Earth. He had to catch up to them before they calmed down. They calm down and they stop wreaking havoc on Mother Nature. No trail to follow, no mission to complete. He would fail and lose all chances of being able to command his own squadron. Rowe would  _ not _ accept that. 

 

It took him a little less than half an hour, but he found the bio-terrorist. A little girl, tucked into a hollowed tree. He knew it was her, had to have been. He felt a buzz in the air, one he remembers from when he was around Fetch or Eugene. God, that was back when he was Delsin.  **Disgusting** . 

 

“Hey... Are you uh, are you alright?” He asked, kneeling down in front of her. “I know you’ve got some guys after you and...” She had looked up at him, tears streaking her face. 

 

“You’re one of them!” She cried out, shoving him back and getting out of the tree. Was it the mask that gave it away, or the uniform? Either way, he was pushed back with such alarming force he had to take a moment to understand what had happened.  _ The kid’s a bio-terrorist. Freaky strength and all that. _ He wished he had recharged while he was chasing after her. Using Hank’s neat trick drained his smoke gauge, he was running too close to empty. He couldn’t use what he had to shoot her, couldn’t use it to chase her, either. That left what? Running?  _ Great. _

 

She already had a sizeable gap between herself and Rowe. He was busy trying to guess her power. Would Augustine be mad if he picked this one up? Probably. Better not. He moved closer to her, almost close enough to grab the back of her shirt. The girl turned back and saw him, then threw up her arms. A wall of various plants sprouted from the ground, stopping him in his tracks. Rowe was happy he didn’t have any allergy to... Whatever just grew in front of him. 

 

“That’s a cute trick, kid, but I like mine better!” There was one piece of Delsin he couldn’t really let go of. That chain of his always did come in handy... It didn’t drain smoke from him, so he used it to scorch the forest. The flames slinking off of the metal and tearing into the wall of foliage felt so gloriously satisfying, it was like taking candy from a baby. He didn’t care about the way the blaze he crafted spread onto the ground around him. No, that’s collateral. Not on him. The conflagration was on Augustine’s head. She gave the order to release him. 

 

Rowe ran again, eyes looking for her blue shirt. He caught her running between trees. His feet knew what to do as he started to move again. It was windier where she stopped. After looking closer and realizing the forest he thought was a few yards away was what looked like fifty feet below them. She had her hands up and her back to him. 

 

“Please!” She shouted. “Please, don’t hurt me!” When she turned to face him, her face was bright red and tears glistened on her cheeks. 

 

“Hurt you? With all the running you made me do, I’m tempted,” He wrinkled his nose in anger. God, he hated children. “You’re under arrest for attacking a D.U.P soldier. Another charge is for possessing the conduit gene without turning yourself into the Department of Unified Protection, but I’ll go easy on you. Put your hands out so I can cuff you and we can get going. My squad is waiting and if I don’t get back to them in the next five minutes, they’re coming for you. They won’t be so nice.” He stepped towards her, holding out his hand to grab her wrist, but she stepped away. 

 

“No... I'm not going with you! They said I would be safe out here. They said I wouldn’t have to see you guys out here!” More tears? At this rate, she’ll get dehydrated. So much emotion in such a small person. 

 

“Well, they’re liars. We won’t hurt you, as long as you listen. Please, kid, I won’t ask you again,” He didn’t have enough power to do serious damage, but maybe it would be enough to keep her quiet. Rowe hated that metal piece lodged in his head denying him of all his strength. It’s not like he would go all out on her, but even children were strong enough to kill someone. He would know, a few of his soldier buddies were dropped because of these runny-nosed runts. Rowe lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and making sure he didn’t touch her hand. “You’re too slow. C’mon, I’m not in the mood to fight.” He tugged on her arm and she yelped as if it hurt. He didn’t use any force, but he still looked down at her. Was that concern on his face? 

 

“I said... I’m not going with you!” A tree from the edge of the forest launched from it’s roots and seemed to run at the two. Rowe was too busy watching this thing run at him to get out of the way. 

 

It came down with such force, the sheer sound of his bones shattering beneath the wood made him cry out. At the last second, he tried to move out of the way. The way his body moved and the way the tree fell made it come down diagonally across him. One arm was free, the other crushed. Don’t even  _ look _ at his chest. He laughed, partly from shock and partly from how ridiculous this situation was. He was bested by a little girl and a tree. This was some fairytale bullshit. The laugh ended with a bloody cough, which had been blocked by the mask. Using the hand that was free, he pulled his mask off and spat to the side and crimson saliva flew from his mouth. 

 

“Alright... I like your trick better...” He wheezed. The tree rolled off of him, creating more cracking sounds to come from his body. Rowe sat up, one hand holding his chest. Smoke began to seep out of him and started to work on his injuries. He slowly felt the shifting of his bones beneath his skin as they worked their way back into place. 

 

“That smoke... Are you healing?” He looked up at her and saw from the corner of his eye the tree rising from the ground. “You heal, you give me away.” She had to be twelve and she already knew so much. It was crazy. But Rowe, he couldn’t help be afraid of this child that could barely come up to his chin. The way her arm moved, the way it stretched out and controlled one of the branches of the tree, this had to be fake. It was one thing to see He Who Dwells soaring through the Lantern District, but this was even more bizarre. She wound her arm back and the branch mimicked her motions. It was brought forward and he was sent spiraling down. 

 

When he woke up, the sun was in a different position. He coughed and more blood came from his mouth. Someone was screaming in his ear, looks like his five minutes were up.

 

“Rowe! This is an order! Respond immediately!  _ Rowe! _ ” It took him a moment to shake the sleep from his mind. When he did, he couldn’t help letting a scream escape from his throat. He wasn’t numb anymore and when he tried to force smoke out of his hand, nothing happened. Augustine limited him so he couldn’t overdo it, but she didn’t consider how much he needed it to heal. Rowe tried to sit up, to figure out where he was, but the pain from his chest kept him down. He turned his head to his left arm, the one crushed by that goddamned tree. The fingers wouldn’t move. The entire arm wouldn’t move.  _ No, no no no... It couldn’t be dead... Focus!  _ He got the fingers to twitch, but the rest was useless. If he could just get to smoke... He lifted his other hand up to his earpiece, pressing down the small button that would let him broadcast his voice. 

 

“Found the target... Engaged... Wounded... Target lost...” It hurt to breathe. It felt like he was drowning. “Requesting immediate assistance...” There was a crackling response when he released the button. The frantic voice from before was much more calm and collected. Deep, dark. He recognized it and it made his skin crawl. 

 

“You failed. Request denied.” Reggie hissed. Rowe swallowed hard, thinking about how far the nearest checkpoint was. He had a small GPS with him. Looks like he had a new best friend. 

 

Rowe managed to stand and walk, but the blood kept pooling in his mouth. Eventually, he got sick of constantly spitting and just let it slide down his chin. He couldn’t believe this, couldn’t believe he was denied. He could barely walk, barely breathe. By the time he got to one of the checkpoints by the edge of the forest, the sun had started to set. He was out all day and he was exhausted. He waved up at the spotlight that blinded him, trying to show he was one of them. Rowe turned around, showing the bright yellow letters on the back of his uniform. 

 

“My name is Rowe... I need help, smoke, something...” Soldiers ran down to meet him, one spoke into a radio while the other helped support him. His head dropped down, red dripping from his lips. 

 

“Y-Your request for smoke has been denied. A transport is c-coming to retrieve you.” The one with the radio stated, the stutter in his sentences showing he was scared. Rowe almost forgot he had Delsin’s face. This guy had a seriously high body count. It was nice to be feared. He didn’t exactly register what came after that. He heard mumbles, then everything went dark.

 

More mumbling, more darkness. It took him some time to come to. When he fully opened his eyes, the room was bright white. He heard  _ her _ voice. As much as he would hate to admit it, and as corny as it sounds, she pulled him out of it. It’s not as romantic as it seems. Rowe turned towards her. She was having a conversation with one of the coats. Sweat slid down his forehead, yet he felt so cold. His eyelids began to droop again and something began to frantically beep next him. 

 

“Ma’am, we don’t have time. Part of him or all of him?”  _ Broken _ . Was there any other word to use? 

 

“The arm comes off. No anesthesia.” Her voice was almost as chilled as he was. He felt his heart sink at that.  _ Come on, say something!  _

 

“Please, please... D-Don’t. I can’t take anymore...” He was trembling, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. More pain, more suffering.

 

“You would have the luxury of not feeling a thing if you had obeyed and completed your mission. You failed, so you don’t deserve the comfort.” 

 

He was fine when they fixed up his chest. He’s had to do it for himself before. Removing pieces of his ribs from his lungs. How did he live this long, anyway? It was the cutting, the sawing, the grinding of that instrument so close to his ear that threw him off. He screamed, pleaded for anything to stop the pain. At one point, he felt his lips form the words “kill me” as if they would obey him. Here, he was nothing. Here, he had no rank. Here, he was just another filthy bio-terrorist. He passed out from the pain. Augustine had watched from the sidelines, safe in her little box above the operating room. She didn’t like the weakness he revealed. Hopefully by denying him all comfort he would be stronger. When he wakes up, he’ll be perfect.


End file.
